Japan 2009

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2009-08-22T10:55:00.004-04:00

Well, I've been back for a while now, so it's about time I do this... my last post, I think. ^-^ Leaving Japan was one of the saddest days EVER.... my family could only come with me to the train station (there's the picture of all of us... Momo-chan's head got cut out a little....), where we took an hour-long-ish train to the airport and waited for FOREVER for the plane... we managed to actually delay the darn thing because one of the arriving groups was late (long story....). Everyone was really happy to see each other again, though.... we were all telling stories and showing pictures. ^-^ Then once we got back to LA, everyone went their separate ways. Most people went directly to a connecting flight, but I met up with my cousin and we hung out and then I flew back home the next day.

Adjusting back wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, though that was probably because I was only gone for six weeks. Granted, I was a mess for a little while because of the time change, but once I managed to get that righted everything's been almost like an average summer- although immediately after coming back I had a tendency to talk in Japanese by accident.... not so much anymore, but sometimes I still doing it! And a week after I got back, Mieko, my host sister, came to our house, so we've been prepping her (or trying to, anyway) for the wonders of American high school. And my brother starts this year, too, so that'll be fun for both of them. ^-^

So, this is probably my last post, but to anyone reading this who isn't a relative or already an AFSer, you should DEFINITELY apply to the AFS program. You will meet so many new and amazingly nice people and learn so much. I had the time of my life while I was in Japan and I made some great friends and now have another family who is super-cool. ^-^

Bye!

~Kay

Last Day

2009-08-04T11:36:00.007-04:00

Making yummy gyoza! They're technically Chinese, but they're so yummy and delicious and now I know how to make them! YAYY!!!! But now it's my last day.... TT_TT This is just going to be a short post with no pics... the rest are a SURPRISE! Hooray! My host family is SOOOO amazing. Today, since it was my last day, we went to Tokyo Dome City and rode the HUGE roller coaster (seriously, it's BIG and I learned that it is possible to ride some roller coasters in a skirt) and went around looking at the

the different places and went on the ferris wheel... and then we

went to dinner at the Tokyo Dome Hotel and had lots of yummy food. And they gave me a really nice going-away present. I really wanted to start crying....

So I guess I'll be seeing you guys soon. Don't worry, though. Animefest won't be any fun without everyone. ^-^ And would it be weird for me to be jealous that you guys went to Conneticon? We should all go next year. Ace, have fun in Gettysburg! I don't think I'm going to be able to get the game, though.... it's nearing midnight now on the last day.... XD.... my sister says she doesn't know if they still make it, too... and she's never seen a manual, either. I did get everyone presents, though, of what I hope is the very best thing I could find. XD And the yukata I was wearing wasn't actually mine, it was my okaa-san's. My yukata is the one I bought in Epcot last year and used for my Shintoism project. It's still pretty, though.

Oh, and Ace, tell your mom that, most unfortunately, I have not seen "Shoe-shoe." Apparently because IY and YYH are so old, there's not a lot of stuff out there any more. Trust me, I looked. Even in Akihabara. There was some CG stuff, but a lot of it was fanservicey models of Kallen/C.C.... -_-' Anywho...

See you guys soon!

~Kay

Fun!

2009-08-01T05:51:00.013-04:00

So this week, we went to the Ueno Zoo, where Otou-san used to work a long time ago. There were lions, tigers, and bears (oh my! But really, there were these huge bears from Hokkaido...HUUUUUGGGGEEE). And animals with weird names- I mean, why is the dormouse edible? And of course, there were cute animals like this seal who came right up to the glass.... XD And then we had RAMEN! Real ramen, not the instant type. It was insanely delicious. I think I'm going to have to learn how to make it for when I get back.

Then the NEXT day, me, Momo-chan, and Okaa-san walked around Asakusa in yukatas. It was actually kind of hard, since it's like wearing a dress. And the people at the hair place decided to be all, "Haha, we're going to put makeup on your face and not tell you until you're putting it on, so you can't do anything about it." Yeah. But it all turned out okay. I looked cool. And three different people came up to me and asked if they could take a picture with me. I'm not kidding. And then a bazillion other people took pictures secretly (which, by the way, I think is illegal in Japan) or kind of just said, "Hey, we're taking your picture now, so smile!" Everyone who did that was a foreigner. All the people who asked were Japanese. Does that tell you anything?

And of course, I need one picture with a fan. One of the people who took a picture with me, a little kid (I think it was for homework), gave it to me with an origami crane and a name card. It was really funny.....
Then the next day Momo-chan and I went back to Harajuku and had lunch (日本　の　マクドナルド or just Maku -- better than in the US but still not fantastic. The teriyaki burger wasn't bad, though. We met Momo-chan's friend Stella (yes, Mom and Dad... and I told them the story) who is an AFSer from Canada. Oh, and yesterday I went to see the new Harry Potter movie (yes, it was in English). Can't say I'm terribly impressed... if I hadn't read the book I think I would have been really confused...

Some of the interesting food/drinks I've had recently- CC Lemon (like lemonade plus soda... everyone but me calls it Cee-cee Lemon... darn you Code Geass and darn you C.C.) Also yummy was all that stuff in the middle, rice and miso soup (though Okaa-san's food is always the best), pickled veggies, sukiyaki beef and tofu and greens, more veggies, and that thing in the middle is an onsen tamago (haha, yes, I did laugh), which is basically a barely-cooked egg that you dip the sukiyaki beef in. It was REALLY good. Then the last thing is メロン　ソーダ　(melon soda), which has to be one of the best types of soda EVER. Also good is apple tea soda.
Lunch today at a monjayaki and okonomiyaki place. It's pretty much meat or fish and cabbage and other veggies cooked in sauce kind of like an omelette, though only one type has egg. It's REALLY yummy and fun to make. And then we were off to.....
TOKYO TOWER!! Whooo! It was really... big... haha... we went up to the observation deck at 150 meters and got a nice view of Tokyo, though we couldn't see Fuji-san... oh well... haha... the building inside it is full of souvenir shops and resturaunts and stuff... it's a pretty cool place....
This is the view looking straight down from 150 meters. They had little windows in the floor that you could look through (and stand on...both of which I did). We didn't go all the way up (333 meters) because it costs extra, but it's pretty cool, isn't it? Everything looks so tiny... Anywho, hope everyone is having a fun summer. I don't really have any plans for when I get back, except that Bicen homework and get ready for Mieko-chan (that's her name! It's so exciting! She's coming sometime between August 12th and 15th so that's right after I get home). Oh, and cleaning out my suitcase. I hope everything fits! Haha. Jess, I have to talk with my cousin before we make any concrete plans. She is giving up a day of work to look out for me! But we can try to meet if I'm not too burned out (I'll try to sleep on the plane, but no garuntees....) Everyone back in CT, I'll have to find out when we can all get together, neh? Maybe it's time for another Animefest?

Wah... only a few more days left... I'm sad... though I'll be happy to see you guys again!

~Kay

The Last Week of School: Camp and Other Fun

2009-07-27T05:20:00.016-04:00

Okay, guys, here's (one) of your joke pictures for today: giant tuna. ^-^ And the pic below is from when we went out to dinner with Kosuge-san and his family. He's a semifamous professor in Japan. ^-^ And the other pic is Ice Bagels, aka flavored bagels (chocolate, blueberry, etc) filled with frozen yogurt. Very yummy!!

For all my fellow Harvest Moon lovers out there (*coughAcecough*).... haha... ^-^ And the other pic is from the party/presentation on the last day of school, of all the Tokyo-AFSers (and one other guy who I have no idea who he is).　We all had to make speeches in Japanese, and needless to say, it was rather difficult. My　host family recorded mine, though, so I'll show it when I　get back．

It was a real fun thing to do..． we all impressed the teachers... except Taylor, I think... haha, we had Alex with her "Goran no suponsa-no teikyou de ookurishimashita" and Jess with her "Masaki-sensei, kekkon-shitte kudasai."
And to celebrate... we all went out to karaoke again. ^-^ I think we're going next Sunday, too, to say our last goodbyes.... TT_TT But host siblings came, too, so Yuu-chan and Dominic (that blond guy standing up)'s host brother and Chrys-san's sister all came. Yuu-chan and Alex sang Arashii. ^-^ Then for the next two days (Sat. and Sun.) we had camp with a bunch of Japanese high school students.
It was a lot of fun. Here's a pic of me and my group.

Me and Daichi-san and Ai Hirota-san, two of the kids in my group. And all the daigakusee (university students) who were councilers. They're doing the "nyoki" (sp?) pose, which is the sound bamboo shoots make when they grow. It's also part of a game I don't fully understand.

All the AFSers posed for a pic. It was the last time for a pic. It was the last time some of us ｗｉｌｌ see each other again (I won't see any non-American each other again (I won't see any non-American kids who aren't going to karaoke because they leave on the 4th for Nagoya, while we leave straight from Narita). It's actually really sad to think about....I only have a little more than a week left in Japan. I would cry, but that would waste precious time having fun with my host family here....

The HUGELY HUGE imense torii at Meiji Jinguu. We saw a traditional wedding! We were actually really lucky- most weddings happen on weekends, and we went today (Monday), so...haha... there were also a bunch of Canadians...like... hundreds of them...XD

This is kind of a dumb picture of me, but it shows how big the model was... yup, a life-sized (maybe?) of that scary girl from Evangelion. I don't know her name, but we took the picture anyways.... did you know that InuYasha and YuYu Hakusho are so old here that you can't find any merchandise in toystores? At least near where I live/in Harajuku. Yep, today I hung out in Harajuku with Okaa-san, Yuu-chan, and Momo-chan. We at crepes, which where REALLY yummy but it was really big and I couldn't finish it...

Now, storytime! In Harajuku we saw this really cool shop that had all these clothes that you would only be able to buy in Japan (don't worry, Mom, this DOESN'T end in me spending a lot of money). We went in and looked around. A lot of the outfits were gothicish or maid costumes (some with kitty ears, some without) or school uniforms. Some of them were kind of expensive (up to about ￥5000, which is about $50) and most of them were too small for me or too short (it was mostly skirts or pants with big heavy chains, all of which I would never wear). However, I did buy one thing, because it was about $15.... for the whole outfit... so I've got a potential Halloween/Rent-a-Senior Day\maybe first day of school (I REALLY want to wear it the first day of school, but I have to make sure my host sibling and John won't care too much) outfit. In conclusion...... Who am I (see picture below)?

Feel free to start laughing any time. But seriously. Momo-chan was REALLY super nice and gave me the socks (to keep), so I'd just have to find some shorts to wear under it...haha... do I look the part, for people who know the anime? If not, go watch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. That's who I am, by the way. Today's kanji, in relation, is 優鬱

... Does this mean I have to learn the dance now?

So, if I have Mom's permission and once I finish buying presents for people, I'm going back. Even just to look. I think it'd be kinda fun to get one super-different think that I'd never normally wear... and then wear it to school.... haha.....but one thing that I love about Japan (among others) is that the clothing, even for teens, isn't super-tight or super-low-cut or anything.... it's a nice change....

Anywho.... -_-' I'm done with my mini-rant....haha... I'll update later!

~Kay

PS- Yuu-chan's turn! Kay-chan looks like HARUHI!! Very cute~! And Kay-chan's speech was very nice!

Shout-out to Everyone!

2009-07-21T05:29:00.018-04:00

Um.... hi guys. ^-^ How're you all doing? I didn't really do MUCH this week.... really... just visited one or two shrines/temples (this one is Kanda Myoujin), found an ATM that accepts foreign cards so I can buy presents for people.... you know... oh.. and...
KARAOKE!!! WHOO! XD It was superspecialawesome. We mostly sang American songs, some of which I had never heard of, but about half of which I knew.... or put up there... we all sang "This is Halloween" near the end... haha... but no one knew "You Give Love a Bad Name"..... haha.... I realized that half the music I listen to (not that song, but a bunch of others) are all kind of old... altough they're really good... Yeah... and I got everyone to sing "A Whole New World" in honor of my friends back home, although they didn't know that's why they were singing it.... there's me at the

mike...... I think I was singing "Hotel California"... thanks to Gabe for taking pictures!... You know what? I learned a lot of good songs to download... and I did try to sing alone... in nihongo... but it was all in kanji... tottemo muzukashikatta desu.... (it was really hard).

Oh, and the other epic trip of the week... GHIBLI MUSEUM! As in Studio Ghibli. As in Miyazaki. As in Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, etc, etc, etc.... it was super cool. But it was a kind of small museum, and you couldn't take any pictures. There was also a lot of suff about the new Miyazaki movie, whose American name will be Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea. Tina Fey and Matt Dameon are going to be in it, I think. We're going to watch it tonight (in Japanese, obviously), so I hope it's good.... for those who don't know, that's a giant Totoro (which some Americans like to pronounce like Mrs. Turtoro the math teacher's name) which was in the window at the entrance, and a model of one of the robots from Nausica.... cool, eh? I got more pins. And presents for my host family, since they love Ghibli, too.

The view from the house in Onjuku. We spend Saturday and Sunday there. It was an older house, really cool. We went to the water park nearby and down to the ocean, set off fireworks, had a BBQ, and I saved some sand in a bottle to bring home.
Yummy mochi with cheese. I'm taking lots of pics of food since your mom asked, Nikki. Just show her this. I'm also making a list.... but it's all been yummy so far... I'm even eating tomatoes and a little mayo, which I don't normally do. Umeboshi (plums) were a little sour, though, and I still don't like hardboiled eggs. I think I'm scarred for life after I had to eat those radioactive ones last year... XD Oh, remind me to tell you about the radioactive pigs of Sweden when I get back.

That's me doing my imitation of Howl.... when he flops in the chair.. haha... I asked my family, "Watashi wa dare desu ka?" and they didn't get it at first and said "Kay-chan" because that question literally means "Who am I?"... not like the joking way... anywho...there's my family (Otou-san, Yuu-chan, Okaa-san, Momo-chan) all wearing the Trumbull shirts I got them as a present.

Yakisoba and unagi (eel). All I can say is, yakisoba is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO amazingly yummy, and I learned how to make it (kind of) so maybe when I get back I can make that and tempura. Unagi is pretty good, too. Who knew?

More pictures of a pretty temple... I could look up the name... but I'm feeling lazy.... so you'll find out when I get back... haha... it's really pretty, though, isn't it?

Hmm.... what else do I have to say to you people? Nikki, who's the new book club member? Anyone I know? And has the library gotten any good new books in? Jess, I'm coming in August 5th, so I'll call you when I get in and I have my phone and we three (you, me, and my cousin) can talk about what to do. Emma, congrats on getting your permit, and it's good to hear from you! How's band camp going? Marinna, of course I'm in the Sengoku Jidai. It's not like anyone might, I don't know, tell someone in the US if I was missing. Plus there aren't any dry wells by my house anyway. Or maybe I would have tried. If it wasn't too deep and if there wasn't the risk of me being injured and sent home. Yeah, Waldenbooks needs to upgrade.... when will you be in LA? Maybe you can meet up with me and Jess when I'm coming back. Oh, and I finally got you your bday present, and it's good, so you better accept it. Ace, good to know you got this stupid thing working... I can't do it half the time, XD How's tennis going? I'm glad it's not to rainy there.... haha...and the veggie juice turns out to be veggie AND fruit juice... doubly dangerous.... haha.... Okay... let's see..... hi to all of my grandparents, Grandma, Grandpa, and Nana. Grandpa, I haven't found your watch yet, though I was almost positive it would be in the Edo Tokyo Museum... XD Mom, I got the T-shirt, thanks to my MAGNIFICENT host family....

And guess what everyone? From what my mom says, we're just confirming our host student with THS, and then it's all good! And our potential host student is... A GIRL FROM JAPAN!!! Awesome, eh? So who's going to help me show her (and John) around on their first day at THS? So long as she comes, that is. I don't know how long she'd stay for (hopefully a year), but she'd come at the end of August... YAYYYYYY AFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay.... I'm done.... haha... kanji of the day is 銀. No hints this time. Good luck!!!! Miss you guys (though there are some AMAZINGLY cool people here- as well as some not so amazing ones, but that's life- no one is quite like my friends at home. XD)

~Kay

PS Does anyone know how the THS renovations are going?

PPS Yuu-chan's turn to write.... I think I just scared her when I went to ask her.....:I want to go to Ghibli!!! I like "SEN TO CHIHIRO NO KAMIKAKUSI" (Kay's note: Eego wa "Spirited Away" desu)

PPPS Okay, so I just found out that the AFS people are taking the pictures from my blog and putting them on the AFS Flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/photos/afsusa/sets/72157606689568572/) and they also put one on the AFS blog (http://afsblog.org/). Guess which one it was? I mean, of all things... a picture of VEGGIE JUICE? What the heck? I took so many cooler pictures than that... of course... some of them I haven't posted... haha....maybe I should start posting some of those pictures. After all, I think I'm the only one in AFS Japan doing a blog that other AFSers can see... haha....

YAY THIS WEEK!!!!

2009-07-12T00:57:00.010-04:00

Hey, all! How's your week been? ^-^ Mine was definitely

interesting. We went to a tea ceremony museum, which was really beautiful, and the tea we had was great. Ace, the picture below is for you- REAL veggie juice, not the Sadahara kind. It was actually really tasty.

The pumpking bread turned out really good, too!

These pictures are from ICI's trip to Kojimachi Gauken、a girl's school, though there weren't too many people there because of midsemester exams. I made tea. And a fan. But I don't have any pictures of that.

There's all the Tokyo AFS people after the tea ceremony. Do I look like I was in some serious pain after kneeling for half an hour? Let me tell you, if your not used to it, it's not a good idea. On the bad side, it was really windy, so my poor umbrella (actually my host sister's) was...well.... you can see what happened. I fixed it and offered to buy a new one, but they said it was okay... so....yeah.... ^-^

This is the Asago Matsuri, a festival to celebrate summer. I had takoyaki (doughy octopus balls) and ramune soda. It was yummy. ^-^ There were people in yukatas and scooping goldfish and everything. I've also seen quite a few people with very dyed hair... -_- Well... whatever...

We had a lot of fun, though we didn't stay for a long time.
Here's a random picture of part of a bookstore I went to with my host sister and Okaa-san. That's all manga your seeing. I may have bought myself a few volumes to practice my reading (I'm actually pretty good at reading hiragana and katakana now, though I don't always know what it means). But that's what a dictionary is for.
Yesterday was really fun, too. We went to TOKYO DISNEYLAND! Or rather, Tokyo Disney Sea. Little bit of a bad pun there... but it was a ton of fun (yes, Mom, I did pay for my ticket myself). Isn't the train cool? We went with my Oba-san (aunt) who I call Mama, and her daughter Nana-chan.
There were a lot of cool rides and good food- we're eating a type of gyoza (dumpling) in this picture.... yummy! Some of the rides were a little wierd for me, though... Indiana Jones just isn't the same in Japanese. Probably because I couldn't really understand most of what he was saying.
Tokyo DisneySea is having an event this summer called Mega Splash, and as part of that, Mickey, Goofy, Chip, and Dale go around in a bunch of big boats once a day on the lake dancing and stuff. It's like a parade, and it was a ton of fun. The only difference from a parade was that they all had huge water guns, as did the Disney workers on the boats that they sprayed in the air. It was a lot of water. Naturally, I got soaked. But it was fun. And it was good since it was kinda hot out. And yes, I am wearing

Minnie ears. Long story. But anywho. Okaa-san wouldn't let me walk around in a wet t-shirt and she wouldn't let me buy it, either. I did buy some pins for my collection, though. And a strap to put them on. Finally. I had SO much fun. ^-^ And there was a whole area dedicated to Aladdin. XD So my whole family just looked at me when I started to laugh.

And guess what ride we went on (twice)?!!!!! Here's your first hint<-- That elevator. Here's your second hint- an old, broken hotel with green lightening in one of the windows. Yep, you guessed it!TOWER OF TERROR! ^-^ I hope you can read the green letters... that's just about my favorite ride ever... As you can tell from my picture of the picture they took of us on the ride. XD

It's actually a different story from the US one, but it's still really good. As we left that night, I was really tired (and wet...again...the last ride we went on was a water ride...-_-' My idea, of course), but I was really happy..... haha... ^-^ So, what's new with you guys? Has anyone seen/heard from Ace this summer? I bet she's busy playing tons of tennis, since I haven't heard from her. I hope everyone got my postcards, though it sounds like you did!.... well, I'm done. Here's the kanji of the week- 虎。^-^ Enjoy! So I'll talk to you all later

Oh! It's Yuu-chan's turn to write: Disney Sea was very exciting! Kay chan was very wet!!

So, anywho.... hope you're all having a good summer!

~Kay

Kay's New Update!!!

2009-07-04T06:20:00.011-04:00

Haha, look, I'm updating AGAIN! I thought you guys would like the pics from school- my class is pretty neat. There's Chrystal (the image of a stereotypical American), yours truly, Micky from Italy (and a fellow InuYasha-and Sesshomaru- fan), Ivan (another American), Stefan from Sweden, and Katherina, also from Italy. Yes, Stefan and I have hana (flowers) in our hair. They're home-made, too! And that's one of my senseis and my friend Alex. Oh, and for anyone who cares, he claims to be the guy who translated the rules for the Death Note, though I'm a little skeptical.... Below is the ceremony at Nezu Jinja, a Shinto temple (it took me about half an hour to realize it was the same shrine I said I wanted to go to in one of my earlier posts... FAIL... haha... but it was really cool. It was a shrine to Inari, so there were all these kitsune (fox) statues.

Tokyo-Edo museum. I took more pictures, but I don't really feel like uploading them all. Sorry, guys. Below is our celebration of Yuu-chan's birthday!!! It was fun. I sang the birthday song. Also, I learned they've never heard of the chicken dance. So I taught it to them. And Cotton Eye Joe. The other picture is at breakfast. I helped by making a very yummy omelet. Whoo! ^-^ I'm very proud that I could do it. It seems difficult.

Dango and kakigoori (shredded ice)... YUMMY! We went to the zoo where Outo-san works, but Momo-chan and Yuu-chan have to study for this big test they're having, so they couldn't come.... TT_TT Next weekend we're going to Tokyo Disneyland, though. I also met Okaa-san's sister and her husband. Then that tree is for

Tanabata, the star festival. You write a wish on the cards, and hang it on the tree. Then on the festival day, I think you burn them. Then that CUTEST THING EVER is a baby fennec (sp?) fox. And the other thing is two of the many vending machines in Japan. There are also some that sell cigarettes, though I haven't seen any for beer yet. I'll take a picture if I do. And, Marinna, I watched what I THINK was the first episode of Evangelion, but it was all in Japanese so I couldn't really follow it, though I could understand quite a few words. WAKARIMASU!!!! XD YAY!!!!

The only (slightly) bad thing is the mosquitos (ka), which LOVE me. I have about 6 bug bites. But it's okay. It's not like I've never had a bug bite before. And my family is letting me use this great medicine that makes it not itch. ^-^ I don't think I could itch them anyway. They're all on my elbow or on the bottom of my foot (I've been wearing sandals all the time because it's been pretty nice here). ^-^ Guys, let me know if you got my postcards!

So, on a final note, thanks to Mom for the recipie and happy (almost) birthday. And happy Fourth of July. The US history crew all knows what Margonis is doing today. ^-^

Okaa-san says to say she loves the Laura Ingalls TV drama (Mom, I know you know what that is, right?) Momo-chan's turn to write!!! I'm going to make pumpkin bread with Kay-chan tomorrow. I'm TOTTEMO looking forward to making it!!! I like cooking!

Kay's turn again ^-^ We'll see how that goes. We're going to have to convert everything to metric. And, Marinna, I am SO kawaii. It practically oozes from my every pore. Haven't you every noticed? You've probably been distracted by my devil horns holding up my angel halo. XD

Today's kanji is 狐。Someone be smart and tell me what it is. I'll give you a really obvious hint. Think Youko Kurama.

Now I'm kinda tired...so I'm going to go take a bath (ofuro) and go to bed. Night, all!

~Kay

IT WORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-01T05:25:00.017-04:00

Kay desu! I think the website may have been broken or something.　But Japan is AMAZING!!!!!!! I have so many pictures... but I can't post them all. Don't worry, I'm going to save them all to show you guys. I sent everyone a postcard, so I hope you guys like them. Oh, one picture I should post- me and my host family (minus Otou-san) at Tokyo-eki when I came in from Nagoya on the shinkansen! From the left, there's Okaa-san, me, Yuu-chan, and Momo-chan. ^-^ Then there's my table from orientation, all us AFSers, a pic of everyone waiting at the airport, the airplane food (actually pretty good, though the flight was LONG). And that other pic is my futon in Nagoya. We had a traditional style room and

I learned how to take a shower Japanese style. And under 20 minutes. It was interesting. Then there's me trying on a yukata at orientation (which was in Nagoya and was really fun). There were Amerikanjin (Americans), Italiajin (Italians), Suedenjin (Swedes), Burugariajin (Bulgarians), Canadajin (Canadians), kids from Hong Kong, and one Icerandojin (Icelandian?).

That group on the hidari (left) is the so-called "Ouran High School Host Club." Long story. Haruhi was the only guy sitting at our table in LA, so,... yeah. I'm Kyoya. From the left, we have the twins (Sherry and Kate), me, Nekozawa (Andrew-chan) and Kate), me, Nekozawa (Andrew-chan), Haruhi (Gabe), Tamaki (Andrew-chan), Haruhi (Gabe), Tamaki (Chrystal), Honey (Christi), Mori (Niiya, (Chrystal), Honey (Christi), Mori (Niiya, in the back), Renge (Brenda), and Usagi-chan (Honey's bunny- Alyssa, in the front). We also had Kirimi and Ranka. Yeah, it was wierd. Funny, though, especially b/c Haruhi and Andrew-chan had NO idea what was going on. Oh well. ^-^ Almost everyone went to differnt places, though. I know Andrew-chan and Brenda are in Fukuoka, and me, Chrystal, and Gabe are here in Tokyo (BARA KURASU RULES!!! SUNFLOWERS STINK! XD My class is the rose class, aka Bara Kurasu, but I don't really have any good pictures on the kompyuutaa right now so I'll post them later!) The other pictures are of me and Momo-chan and Yu-chan at the Teikoku Hoteru (Imperial Hotel) when we went to change my money (no success there, so we found another place). And then me and Momi-chan at Tokyo Daigaku (Tokyo University), which is literally like 5 minutes from my house. It's SO beautiful (TOTTEMO kiree desu, keredo furui (old) desu!!!!!). I take a shortcut through there every day to get to the chikatesu (subway). Watashi no gakou wa 30 pun kakarimasu (My school is 30 minutes away from my house). Then this last picture is of my very, very delicious bento. Tottemo oishikatta desu! I had a little trouble eating slippery stuff with chopsticks at first, but now I'm really getting good. And my Japanese (nihongo) is getting bettter really quickly. I can now count to 9,999,999,999,999,999 (kyusen kyuhyaku kyujuu kyu chou kyusen kyuhyaku kyujuu kyu oku kyusen kyuhyaku kyujuu kyu man kyusen kyuhyaku kyujuu kyu. Yes, that's all one number. That's what I learned today.) And I'm getting pretty good at katakana, and I would write something, but I can't. Gomen nasai. ^-^ So I think that's all I feel like writing right now. I'm going to help Okaa-san with dinner. Next time, I'll tell you about my trip to a shrine of Inari for a Shinto ceremony (with pictures), my school, and anything else that's come up since then.

Other things to note: My host family is a big fan of the band Arashii. Anyone know it? Also, Yu-chan like anime/manga, and everyone like Spirited Away and Studio Ghibli. And guess what? One of my school field trips is to Ghibli Museum. I can't take pictures, though.... And my host famiy wants to take me to the zoo where Otou-san works and also maybe Tokyo Disneyland, which they LOVE. ^-^ So, hoping everyone's well, I bid you sayounara!

~Kay　ケイ

P.S. For some reason, when I need to explain something to my host family, I want to do it in Spanish (Speingo), which makes NO sense. And today's kana of the day is "ro" （ロ）　and the words are 風 (kaze), 狼(oukami), and 銀(gin)。

P.P.S. Hey Mom, can you send us the recipe for pumpkin bread? We want to try it. Don't worry, I'll remember the sugar. And the baking soda. XD

P.P.P.S. Momo-chan is going to write something: Kay-chan is very KAWAII,yasashii,omoshiroi and TOTTEMO iiko desu (Kay: That means I'm very cute, kind, interesting, and very good. ^-^ That makes me very happy)! We are good sisters!

P.P.P.P.S.Yuu-chan is going to write something: Kay is a good girl! and she is tottemo omoshiroi!! So I enjoy life with Kay!!!

Japan Update

2009-06-27T11:18:00.003-04:00

Hi all, Kay's mom here. Kay is in Japan now and is with her host family. She is having a great time, although a bit tired from all the time changes. Unfortunately she is having trouble signing on to this blog, so she may not be able to post. I'll try to help out, but please don't be mad if you don't hear from her for a bit.

Lisa
(Kay's mom)

Host Family

2009-06-16T16:39:00.003-04:00

Well, I probably should have updated this quite a while ago. ^-^ Silly me.... so about two days after my last post, I received an email about my permanent host family! So since then, I've emailed them (in my very poor ro-maji). They're really nice! I'm leaving for LA in 6 DAYS!!!!!!!!! I'm actually leaving a day early and staying with my cousin because we have to be there by 2 pm on the 23rd, and so I didn't want to worry about my flight getting in late. Anywho, I'm getting REALLY excited.... wow.... ^-^ WOO!!!! I'm going to be staying in Tokyo. ^-^ I'm not sure if I can post any info/pictures of my host family (AFS rules apparently say that I have to ask first, which makes sense), but I hope they'll say yes, and then I can tell you all about them. I'm going to have a host dad & mom and two sisters, which is great because I've never had a sister. >.< I'm SO psyched!

The other big thing right now is all the talk about swine flu. Once we get to Japan, we're going to be quarantined for a day (which we kind of would have been anyways, for our 2-day orientation) to make sure we're not sick. It makes sense- it's swelled into a panic at my school, and a lot of kids have been out with potential swine flu cases.

On that note, wish me luck on my finals (Thursday and Friday) and on fitting my stuff into a suitcase- and making it under 44 lbs. Shouldn't be too difficult, I hope... ^-^

~Kay

Travel Days

2009-05-12T15:27:00.003-04:00

YAY! AP testing is over. ^-^ That just made my day today. It's been an interesting past week. I went on this "webinar" think AFS was having where people who are going to Japan can ask questions and talk to returnees. It was really neat. ^-^ We started talking about schools, and just as we were talking about this one school, ICI (the International Communications Institute in Tokyo), I got an email saying that that's where I was going to school. It was a cool coincidence... and then this weekend I got my flight info, so I know I'm leaving from the U.S. on June 24 (meaning I'm leaving for L.A. the 22nd, since I have to be there by 2 p.m. on the 23rd) and arriving in Tokyo on the 25th (they do run 13 hours ahead of us, though). Then I'm taking a short flight to Nagoya... which is kinda weird, since Nagoya is 100+ miles from Tokyo.... so if I'm staying there, that's a long commute to school... I'm thinking, since the other AFSer who's going to Japan the same time I am has the same flight schedule, that means that Nagoya is where our orientation is, and then our host families will pick us up from there. But I'm going to have to ask my advisor.

I also got info on how to begin my Japanese lessons (the school wants me to complete Level 1 of the lessons they have online before I leave) so I'm starting that tonight. ^-^ I'm so excited!!

If anyone reading this is a fellow AFSer, feel free to comment and tell me where you're going/have gone! I'd like to talk to other people- I'm trying to find as many as possible!

~Kay

Well, what timing

2009-04-11T21:50:00.001-04:00

Of course, the day after I posted that I was still waiting... I get the letter saying I'm OFFICIALLY accepted by AFS Japan and, though they're still finding a host family for me, I will definitely be going. YAY!

~Kay

Almost 6 Weeks

2009-04-10T16:20:00.003-04:00

This coming Tuesday will be the six-week mark on my wait for AFS to tell me my host family. ^-^ Oh well. They said it might take a while. The great, fantastical news is, I found out I HAVE been accepted by AFS Japan, which means I'm definitely-most likely going. As long as they find a host family for me.

So, of course, I've started doing some reading. I've already read the packet/book thingy, and it suggested several books, none of which my local library had. So I used the magic of the Interlibrary Loan to get them from libraries that are fairly far away. I can only get two at once, though, so I'm currently reading The Exchange Student Survival Kit by Bettina Hansel, and I have a book from the CultureShock! series, CultureShock! Japan for when I'm done. And I'll have plenty of time to read them- I'm going down to Washington D.C. and then up to Boston this week, during April break, to look at colleges.

In the mean time, I'm making a scrapbook of pictures to bring with me to show my host family, and when I come back I'll add all the pictures I've taken! ^-^ It's coming along nicely so far. I've got all these cool things to add into it.

~Kay

The Wonderful Packet/Book Thingy

2009-03-09T19:58:00.004-04:00

Today, I got a very large envelope in the mail from AFS and got very excited, thinking that maybe it was the information about my host family (it wasn't). Instead, it was about three letters telling me that they had shipped off my applications last week (YAY!!!) and that I had to read this packet of papers stapled neatly with a very pretty cover made to look like a book (I'm serious. It's really cool looking. There's all these pictures from the different places they send people. The blue paper kind of ruined the color a little, but regardless...)

So now I know the approximate departure date of my trip (6/22-6/26), which means I MAY be (probably will be, actually) missing the last few days of school. I have to go to a Gateway Orientation 24 hours before I leave, and before that I have to fly out to Los Angeles, where my plane leaves from (I may be staying with my aunt and uncle for a few days beforehand) so I might miss the whole week of finals (which is a fun week, usually- half days every day, with two tests a day maximum). Oh well.

Now that I have more instructions/advice on what to do, I'm going to have to start doing it! I have to look and see what shots I'll need to get before I leave, and learn more about my host country as well as current events here in the U.S. ^-^ And I'm going to start making a list of things I want to pack- not too much, though, since there's a weight limit on my suitcase and my carry-on.

All right.... that's all for now... I'm getting SOOOOOOOOO excited.....

~Kay

February Break

2009-02-22T16:40:00.002-05:00

*Sigh* Well, this hasn't been the best school vacation of my life (I got my wisdom teeth out on Monday, and then I was sick at the end of the week). But I have been thinking more and more about my trip. We emailed my AFS advisor, Brandt, to ask where in the process we were (a.k.a. how soon we would know exactly where I was going and who my host family will be, etc.) and he told us they hadn't sent off the applications to AFS Japan yet. They're going to send them March 3, and I'll know 4-6 weeks from them. So that was also a bit of a disappointment. Oh well.

Again, I'd like to say I'm grateful to everyone who's donated to my trip so far. Actually, some of the work I'm doing in return for the donations is pretty fun- my family friends make their house a Colonial Williamsburg style theme park every Fourth of July, and so I'm helping with an "orientation video" for it, with costume and everything. The guy's just a little nuts, but whatever. It's a ton of fun. We make musket balls over a fire-and wooden utensils for the younger kids, go on a "tour," etc. It's a shame I'm going to miss it this year. But I'm going to have so much fun anyway. And next year, there's going to be an "international branch" that I get to help run.

~Kay

The Fundraising Thermometer

2009-02-08T17:56:00.003-05:00

Okay, so it's FEBRUARY!!! Which means that AFS USA is sending off my application (or may have already sent it), so I may be getting my host family information ANY DAY NOW!!!

Oh, and I guess you'll see that new picture I put up. That is, as the big letters over it quite clearly say, the fundraising thermometer. That is how much money (out of the $2000 that is my fundraising goal) that friends and family have generously donated to help me get to Japan. What do you think? Pretty cool, huh? Thanks to Mr. Tom Foth for telling me how to do this!

~Kay

Questions #4 and #5

2009-01-11T19:37:00.005-05:00

4. Why have you chosen to become an AFSer in high school, instead of waiting to study abroad when you're older?

I'm really interested in Japan right now, and I don't know if that will change, but I have the opportunity to go, so why not? I think it'll also be easier for me to learn the language when I'm younger, as opposed to waiting a few years.

5. What do your family and friends think about your decision to become an AFSer?

I don't entirely know. Any friends/family reading this, tell me what you think! My parents and my brother are all excited for me, but I know they'll miss me, too (even though my brother claims otherwise). My friends are excited, too. Everyone wants to see pictures when I go, so I'd better take a camera.

~Kay

Question #3

2009-01-11T18:49:00.003-05:00

3. What barriers or challenges have you overcome in order to become an AFSer?

Hm. Well. I can't get re-contract this stomach condition I have within a year of when I go or they won't let me go. We had issues filling out the application forms in the first place, because of the condition (abdominal migraines, something most people have never heard of). And according to my advisor, I have to cut the blue out of my hair before I go(it's just the tips, but I still have to do it). I'm not even entirely sure why. But whatever. I also had to fill out all of the forms two times because I first applied in May but all the forms have to be filled out within a year of going away. So that was tedious. But that's about it!

~Kay

Pictures of Places I'd Like to See....

2009-01-11T17:49:00.020-05:00

This is the Fushimi-Inari Shrine, dedicated to Inari. He's supposed to be the kami, kind of like a spirit, who watches over and protects the rice harvest, among other things. Foxes (kitsune) are supposed to be his messengers, so that's why there are statues of them all around the grounds, such as the ones at the left. The path to the far left is made of torii, gates that are placed at the entrance to shrines as well as in other places to signify the sacred nature of the place, such as the Miyajima Torii at right. The pictures below are of the shrine at Ise, dedicated to Amaterasu, the Shinto goddess of the sun and ancestor of the imperial family, and Mt. Fuji, with the cherry blossoms in bloom. Isn't it beautiful? ~Kay

Question #2

2009-01-11T17:39:00.002-05:00

2. What are your hopes/fears?

Well, the obvious is that I hope I don't make TOO many stupid mistakes while I'm there, learning Japanese. I make stupid mistakes speaking English, and that's the only language I'm fluent in, so there's little hope for a perfect record (haha... for any of my friends reading this, you'll understand when I say "crayons"). I'm worried about getting enough money for the trip, going away on my own for such a long time, and not being able to make any friends- you know, the silly little things that nag at you... I hope I get to see a great number of things in Japan, and maybe go into Tokyo once or twice (I probably won't be staying in the city since it's so crowded and few people have room for an extra person). I'd also like to see Mt. Fuji, the Fushimi- Inari Shrine, and the shrine at Ise (I'll make my next post internet pictures of them). And I hope if I go to school and get a uniform, I'll get to keep it. ^-^

I guess that's all I can think of right now, but if I think of any more I'll add them!

~Kay

Question #1

2009-01-11T17:29:00.003-05:00

Okay, just a refresher note: as part of my scholarship I have to answer some questions (a.k.a. talk about these topics the AFS people gave me). So here's the first one. Also, if anyone else has any questions, go ahead and ask them, and I'll answer the best I can.

1. What are you thinking about as you prepare to study abroad?

Well, the biggest thing I'm wondering about is who my host family is going to be. AFS USA doesn't send anyone's applications over to AFS Japan until February, so I'm not going to find out until late February/early March. It's normal wondering- what will they be like, how many people will be in the family, will there be anyone my age, will they have any pets, and whatnot. I'm also thinking about how much this trip costs, because I've been doing tons of fundraising- writing letters to the Rotary Club and Junior Women's Club in my town, as well as other people we know (though I'm not sending those ones out yet). I guess I also think about what I'm going to do there- am I going to go to school (I'm not exactly clear on that; I believe I am, though), will I go on trips (I made friends with a year-long AFS exchange student from Japan named Moena, and she would go to New York, into the city, with other AFSers all the time. That might be different because of the time I'm there, though). I'd like to see and experience as much of Japan as possible before I go.

~Kay

The Countdown Begins

2009-01-11T17:26:00.004-05:00

On New Year's Day I realized, "Holy cow, my trip is THIS YEAR!!!" So I figured I'd better actually start posting the answers to the questions I have to answer. I'm starting to get really excited, because, I mean, I'm leaving in JUNE. I might even be missing the end of school, depending on how many snow days we have. Gah....

~Kay

First Things First

2008-11-17T17:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so one thing I have to do is post a letter I wrote to my scholarship sponsor thanking them for giving me my scholarship. So.... here it is. I think I actually overdid it a little... it's kind of corny...but whatever...

Dear Scholarship Sponsor,

Thank you so much for awarding me my scholarship. I know you probably hear that all the time, but I hope each time it means something to you. I know it means a whole lot to me.
Becoming an “AFSer” really thrills me. The cultures of other countries have always sparked an interest in me, no matter how I come to know what I know of them. Actually, my first real introduction to Japanese culture came from reading manga, Japanese comic books (translated into English for those U.S. readers who don’t know the writing system used in Japan), which I now collect. I became curious about the land where the books came from. I studied Japanese on my own (very slowly, in between homework and chores) and read a bit on the history and culture of the country. However, this wasn’t really enough to me. When a volunteer from AFS came to my school, her tales were the spark to set me off on this quest to travel to Japan as an exchange student.
Japan’s culture is quite different from that of the U.S., I know that already. However, what you can’t get from reading online or even perhaps a vacation (my previous idea, before I heard of AFS) is a real feel for the country’s perspective, how they view and relate to the world, other cultures, and one another. A tourist only sees the surface of the place they visit, the things they take pretty pictures of to hang on their walls at home. But I will get to see the reality, be a part of a family and live not as a foreign visitor who will stay, leave, and forget, but someone who will come to live as part of the culture, learn from it, and use that knowledge in the world. I’d like to explore the different societies of the Earth as much as possible, and find out as much as I can about each one. I hope this trip is the beginning of my learning. Even if an idea is completely the opposite of what I have been raised to know, I’ll still be gaining knowledge. This trip is also a fantastic chance to broaden my mind and receive new beliefs and perspectives, some I may have never even considered before. I also enjoy languages and though I mentioned I have studied Japanese a small bit, this is a much better way to learn it, or any language- hands-on. I’m truly excited for this adventure, for all the new people I will meet and the places I will see.

Thank you so much for helping me participate in this tremendous opportunity,
Kay

Hi!

2008-11-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

Hi, all, I'm Kay. I've gotten a scholarship to be an exchange student in Japan through the AFS, and as part of that I'm required to make a blog that I'll be posting before and while I go to Japan. This is just an introductory note- I'll be posting some of the other stuff they asked me to later.

~Kay